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Overall Women’s Preview For HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid

Fuhr looks to win fourth HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid title.

Canada's Heather Fuhr will look to maintain her dominance at the HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon on Sunday, July 27. Fuhr has claimed the HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid women's title three of the four year's the event has been in existence and will look to make it four out of five in late July. Fuhr has won titles in Lake Placid in 1999, 2001 and 2003, posting an overall time of nine hours, 43 and 12 seconds to claim the 12th Ironman title of her career. Fuhr did not compete in the 2002 event in Lake Placid.

Fuhr is currently second all-time on the Ironman victory list, having claimed 12 Ironman events in her career, behind only Ironman legend Paula Newby-Fraser, who has posted an amazing 23 Ironman victories.

The Canadian standout, still one of the top female competitors in Ironman triathlon, earned her only Ironman World Championship title back in 1997 in Kona, Hawaii.

Among her other wins are three victories at Ironman Japan (1995-1997), Ironman Germany (2000) and an Ironman California title (2000).

The 35-year-old Fuhr stands as one of the top runners in the history of Ironman, often overcoming large deficits on the run to win events. Fuhr has competed as a pro triathlete since 1991, and is one of a number of top triathletes who hail from Canada. Most recently, Fuhr claimed the Ralphs California Half Ironman title in April of 2003.

Lawn claimed the first Ironman title of her career this past March, by winning Ironman New Zealand with an impressive overall time of nine hours, 17 minutes and 56 seconds.

The 29-year-old has been in the top four at Ironman New Zealand each of the past four years, and also finished second at the 2002 HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon last July, finish behind only behind Fuhr.

Uhl has posted three top-five finishes at Ironman North America events over the past four years.The 37-year-old posted the fastest finish time of her career in August of 2002 (nine hours, 41 minutes and 26 seconds) in finishing third at Subaru Ironman Canada.

Uhl has also been in the top five at HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid twice, finishing fifth in 2000 and second in 1999, her career best overall finish at an Ironman event. Uhl led for much of the run portion of the Lake Placid event in 1999; before Fuhr was able to run her down to take the title.

Other possible contenders for the 2003 women's crown include Karen Holloway ( Richmond, Va.), Gina Kehr (Redwood City, Calif.) and Donna Phelan (Encinitas, Calif.). Holloway has finished as high as sixth at an Ironman (Ironman Florida in 2000) while Kehr was second at Ironman France in 2002 and was 11th at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

More than 1,800 athletes from around the U.S. and the world are expected to compete in the event, which enters its fifth year in Lake Placid.

The HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon will serve as the U.S. Ironman Championship in 2003. Athletes will be competing for 100 qualifying spots to the Ironman World Championship held in October in Kona, Hawaii, as well as a $100,000 pro prize purse.

For more information on HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid, contact Ironman North America Communications Director Shane Facteau at 518-523-2665 or via e-mail at Originally posted to ironmanlive.com on 07/25/2003 09:23am by IM Lake Placid.